Five Times Kai Lost His Temper
by DietCokeIsLife
Summary: And, one time he didn't.
1. Jay

**Yes, it is finally here! (Hey, it's 11:08 PM where I am, so still technically Thursday :D) Updates for this story will be Mondays and Thursdays! BUT, with that being said, next Monday is Christmas. If I get around to it on Christmas, I'll post, but if not, updates will resume regularly next Thursday.**

 **Thank you in advance to anyone who reads and reviews! I hope you like the new "Five Times!"**

* * *

Kai was suspicious.

Now, Kai knew he had a reputation for being self-absorbed (was it his fault that his life was infinitely more interesting than everyone else's?), but he saw and heard a lot more than his brothers and sister thought he did. While he had been checking his hair in the selfie camera of his phone a couple of weeks ago, he really had been listening to Jay geek out over some great arcade in Ninjago City that allowed one to experience the vintage games in "the atmosphere they were intended to be experienced in."

So, when he passed by said arcade in Ninjago City while running an errand, even though getting caught anywhere _near_ the nerd gathering place could seriously ruin his image, he took the risk and had been so kind as to grab a flier for Jay advertising some awesome special they were having soon, like any good, _not_ self-absorbed brother would.

And, how did Jay repay such a selfless, incredibly dangerous act of brotherhood?

"Oh. Um, thanks, Kai."

Jay offered a half-smile, took the flier, and… quickly disappeared into the Destiny's Bounty, leaving Kai standing on the deck like an idiot.

And, now Kai was suspicious.

The red ninja sidled over to Cole, who was doing pull-ups on the chin-up bar and presumably had witnessed the entire exchange, or at least gotten the gist of it.

"What was that all about?" He asked the black ninja just as Cole muttered "ninety four…," (and they called him the show off.)

"What was what all about?" Cole huffed, letting himself hang from the chin-up bar so he could look at Kai properly.

"Why wasn't Jay more excited? It was like fifty percent off at that arcade he loves."

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Jay doesn't go to that arcade anymore."

"What?!" Kai shouted, realizing he risked getting caught by paparazzi for absolutely. No. Reason. "Why not?"

Cole dropped to the deck, stretching out his arms. "Not sure. He only stopped talking about it like two weeks ago. What, too busy buying hair gel to notice?" He smirked.

Kai ignored the gibe (especially since that _had_ been the errand he was running that morning, but Cole didn't need to know that.) "So, Jay is totally in love with some arcade and then he stops going cold turkey and you have no idea why?"

"Probably just got bored of it. I didn't think it was that big of a deal." Cole shrugged, moving to lay on the ground so he could do some push ups instead. "I'm sure he appreciated the gesture, Kai. Don't worry about it."

Kai hummed absent-mindedly to show he heard Cole before walking toward the door of the Destiny's Bounty.

Fine, so maybe he _was_ a little self-absorbed, but when he was focusing on other people, he gave it his all. The others may not have thought it was a big deal, but Kai had a certain intuition about these kinds of things. And, _fine_ , maybe his gut wasn't _always, one hundred percent_ correct, but he still trusted it, and right now it was telling him that if Jay had been so excited about this place only two weeks ago and now looked distinctly uncomfortable when Kai brought it up, something must have happened.

So, now suspicious Kai was in full ninja stealth mode. His mission? Figure out what bothered Jay about the arcade.

Kai spotted his target in the otherwise empty kitchen, staring down at the recently procured flier he clutched in both hands with a - perhaps _longing_?- look in his eye. Full ninja stealth mode entailed many disguises, so Kai assumed the air of one that was familiar to him: self-absorbed Kai that was oblivious to the subtle body language and emotions of others.

"So, when are you going? It said the special was going on all weekend," he said by way of greeting as he entered the kitchen, nonchalantly walking past Jay to grab a banana off the counter as if that had been his goal the whole time.

Jay jumped, moving the flier behind his back as if he had been caught looking at something he wasn't supposed to. "Huh? Oh." Realizing it was Kai who had given him the flier in the first place, Jay held it normally again, glancing at the page. "Um, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it. Training, you know?" Awkward laugh.

Kai raised an eyebrow. Leaning against the counter, he began to peel the banana very slowly, the picture of indifference. "Wu said we don't have training on Saturday. Some tea convention he was going to, remember?"

Jay blinked. He hadn't remembered. "Oh. Right." He coughed. "Well, I don't really have any money."

"You were bragging about that twenty dollar bill you found on the ground just yesterday."

Jay sighed, looking desperate for some- _any_ \- plausible excuse. "I don't have anyone to go with."

"I'll go with you."

The blue ninja recoiled, nonplussed. "You will? To the arcade? For 'nerds?'"

Red lights were going off in Kai's head as he realized his mistake: offering to go to the arcade was not only out of character for him, but very well may have tipped Jay off to the fact that he was suspicious. What to do, what to do…

Abort mission? No, not yet.

Ready battle stations.

Kai scoffed, crossing his arms, half-peeled banana still in hand. "I like video games."

"You don't like arcades."

"Is it so wrong of me to want to prove that I don't care if my thousands of Chirper followers catch me in a place for geeks? That I can defy the stereotypes my cool guy online presence has tried to assign to me? That-"

"Alright, alright, sorry," Jay interrupted, waving his hands. Kai had to bite his cheek to stop himself from smirking with triumph. "Fine, we'll, um…, go to the arcade on Saturday, I guess."

"Good. It's a date."

Jay looked at him weirdly one last time before hurrying out of the kitchen, as if afraid Kai would talk him into doing something else he didn't want to do.

Kai stayed leaning against the counter, revelling in his victory even as he try to psych himself up for going to "dweeb central," before his eyes dropped to the banana he was still holding.

"I don't even like bananas."

* * *

"You know we can still go back home if you want."

"Jay, I'm fine."

"Or, we can go out to lunch instead. My treat."

"We can get lunch after we go to the arcade."

Jay probably thought super observant full ninja stealth mode Kai didn't notice him grumble, but Kai totally did. They were swiftly approaching the arcade, and Jay was fidgeting more by the second, looking all about him nervously as if afraid some predator was getting ready to pounce.

Finally, they entered the arcade that was crowded because of the special. It was dim inside with neon lights and various game consoles flashing constantly. Remixed classic video game theme songs filled the air in an unobtrusive manner. Kids and adults alike were running around amidst the games, dragging tickets behind them or waiting in line behind the more popular ones. Despite its nerd population, Kai had to admit… it looked pretty fun.

Jay traded his twenty dollars for an actual _ton_ of tokens, and they were off, first challenging each other at every multiplayer game they could find, then taking turns at the single player ones to see who could get the higher score. Jay won more often than not, with Kai winning only at the racing games ("Somehow, your bad driving makes you _better_ at racing games!") and Pac-Man oddly enough, though the red ninja had never played a day in his life (which only heightened Jay's frustration.)

But, Kai was laughing and taunting and elbowing Jay at strategic moments to make him lose on purpose and... having a great time. Just as he was trying to figure out why they didn't do stuff like this more often, he also remembered he was supposed to be on a mission. Yet Jay appeared perfectly happy, all the reluctance of before gone.

Kai pondered this as he waited in line to get a soda while Jay attempted (read: failed) to beat his score in Pac-Man, and tried to figure out whether he was going crazy or not and had imagined the whole thing.

"Oh, look who decided to show his face again?"

"What, finally wanted to stop being a baby and start being a man?"

"I think he likes the attention, Leo. I mean, with a face like _that_ , you know he doesn't get it anywhere else."

Kai, like most of the people in line, turned to see what all the commotion was about.

And, his heart stopped when he saw the three guys gathered around Jay.

To his credit, the blue ninja was trying valiantly to ignore them, keeping his eyes carefully trained on the screen directly in front of him, but Kai, knowing Jay as well as he did, could see the subtle differences in Jay's face that told him those comments stung a lot more than he showed.

The leader, presumably Leo, grabbed Jay's shoulder, ripping him away from the game. Everyone in the now much quieter arcade could hear Pac-Man die as he was consumed by Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and/or Clyde. One of Leo's cohorts slapped the cup holding Jay's tokens off the console. Granted, there weren't many left, but that didn't make the laughter any less cruel or Jay's blush any less red.

"C'mon, pick it up, loser."

"Look, Leo, I think he's going to cry!"

"Aw, is the baby going to cry?"

Kai was surprised the sheer, burning intensity of his rage alone had not melted the entire arcade and burned Leo and his minions to crisps. He'd had to press his fingernails into his palms so hard they they drew blood to keep from interfering, _hoping_ Jay would stick up for himself. But, now, as Jay glared at the fallen cup and scattered tokens and continued to try to ignore the insults, it was clear that he would not.

Kai's stomps left craters in the floor.

When Jay looked up to see Kai approaching, his eyes widened with alarm, and only then did he scramble out from the center of the three guys.

"Running home to your mommy?"

"No, look, he's running to his boyfriend!"

"Why don't you do us all a favor and go kill yourself already?"

Kai could see nothing but red, hear nothing but the blood rushing in his ears, and he was about to beat Leo's little gang until they begged for mercy- when he felt Jay's hand lock around his wrist, pulling him away from the scene of the crime. Leo's gang stayed where they were, but the laughter followed the two ninja as Jay dragged Kai toward the back of the arcade and shoved him into the single occupancy men's restroom, locking the door behind them.

"What the heck, Jay?!" Kai roared, trying to muscle past the blue ninja even as Jay held him back. "If you think I'm going to let them talk to you that way-"

"No, Kai, you'll only make it worse," Jay replied, his tone completely and utterly… resigned.

Kai narrowed his eyes, "Well, I wouldn't have to if you _did_ something about it! You just sat there and _took_ it, Jay!"

Jay shrugged, eyes trained on the floor. "My mom always said you should just ignore bullies."

"And, how's that working out for you?" Kai snapped, making Jay wince. "What is _wrong_ with you? You could floor all three of those guys in ten seconds flat!"

"Master Wu says we're only supposed to use our skills for self-defense or the defense of others," Jay whispered.

"You don't call that self-defense?!"

Jay rolled his eyes. "You know that's not what he meant."

Kai was staring at Jay incredulously, all of the rage redirected at the blue ninja standing in front of him instead of at the three real perpetrators gloating outside. " _This_ is why you stopped coming here? Why didn't you just tell us some guys were giving you a hard time?"

"And look like an even bigger wimp than I already am?"

"So, that's it? We're going to hide out in the bathroom until they leave because you're too scared to face them?"

"I'm not scared," Jay mumbled, scuffing the tile with his foot.

"Then, what is it, Jay? Don't want to make a scene? Too late for that! I mean, it's almost as if you _believe_ -"

Kai stopped.

"Jay," he said, his voice dangerously gentle, like the calm before the storm. "Please don't tell me you believe the nasty things they say about you."

Jay refused to meet Kai's gaze, swiping at his eyes. He shrugged, gesturing to the room as a whole. "Look at where we are! Pretty pathetic if you ask me." A sob caught in his throat. "I can't do anything right with Nya, everyone knows I'm the worst ninja, I'm a coward and a loser, so- woah!"

It was Kai's turn to grab Jay's wrist in a vice grip and drag him through the arcade. They burst out of the bathroom, and Kai led him directly to Leo and his friends, even as Jay struggled against his hold. The bullies were gathered around the same Pac-Man machine Jay had vacated, but one of the smaller ones nudged their leader when he spotted the ninja's approach.

"Look, I think they're done making out."

Kai stopped directly in front of them, yanking Jay to a stop beside him.

"This is Jay," he announced. The entire crowd in the arcade had once again stopped what they were doing to watch the second act of the drama. Jay was mortified, but Kai continued, unabashed. "You probably don't recognize him without the blue gi, but he's one of the ninja that has risked his life multiple times to save _your_ sorry butts, and how do you repay him? By throwing around all this hate to make yourselves feel better about your own pathetic lives. Jay is one of the smartest, kindest, funniest people I know and I am _lucky_ enough to call him my brother. What's special about you? That you go around calling complete strangers rude names and tell them to go kill themselves? You should go take a good, hard look in the mirror and _hope_ that maybe one day, you can be _half_ the person Jay is."

And, with that, Kai stomped out of the arcade with Jay in tow, leaving Leo's gang, every other occupant in the arcade, and Jay himself dumbstruck.

They were two blocks away before Jay could speak again. "Kai…, did you… did you _mean_ that?"

"Of course I did." Kai replied immediately. He had released Jay as soon as they'd exited the arcade, but he grabbed his brother's upper arm now, halting their movement. "And, if I _ever_ hear you say otherwise again, I will beat the crap out of you. Understood?"

Jay laughed, and the sound was like music to Kai's ears. "I love you too."

Kai grunted, wanting to clear the air of all the sappiness even if it was true, and pulled out his phone. "Let's see how many followers I lost after spending so much time in-"

 _1248 follow requests_

"Wow, someone posted your speech on Chirper!" Jay exclaimed, looking at his own, severely under-used account on his phone. "It's going viral already!"

But, Kai, instead of being ecstatic as Jay thought he would be, buried his face in his hands and groaned. "No! I've spent my entire life building up my image as 'the cool one,' not the," he shuddered in disgust, "' _sensitive_ one.'"

"Oh, the horror! The secret is out!" Jay cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "Kai has _feelings_!"

"Shut up, will you?" Kai growled, ducking his head.

"Kai's a good big brother!" Jay continued, smirking at the red ninja who he could tell was touched by the assertion even if he quickly covered it up with an eye roll. "He _cares_!"

"Alright, c'mere!" Kai pounced, wrestling Jay into a headlock as the blue ninja protested.

Kai decided he could call it 'mission accomplished,' and he gave himself bonus points for being able to keep Jay in the headlock the entire walk home.


	2. Nya

**Finally! The next chapter! Thank you, everyone, for your patience!**

 **Special thanks to SpitfirewaterNinja, Peanut2196, Nali Nali Nalina, musicalsaregood, TheYellowNinja, RandomDragon, StoriesAreMagic, DaStonekeeper, DarkRed101, TheEvil4ssHole, SnowNinjaAJ, rbrill345, MagicWords22, MidnightStarHunter, and ShinyShiny9 for reviewing!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: Aw, I'm so happy you were excited for the post! See, when I first came up with the idea of Jay getting picked on, I _was_ going to have Kai just beat up the bullies... but that just didn't feel right at all. (And, I'm usually of the opinion that violence is never the answer, but then again, I watch a super awesome TV show about ninjas, so... XD) I really liked the version I decided to go with better, so I'm glad you did too! :D I also wanted to explore Kai's self-absorbed personality and expand on it, so I'm happy you thought he was in character! I thought the tea convention was a nice touch XD Thank you so much! **

**TheYellowNinja: Oh my gosh, am I known for a mix of humor and fluff?! YES! Best title ever. I hope you like this story just as much! Thank you!**

 **RandomDragon: I loved writing "Detective Kai," because he is certainly has a protective instinct about his brothers and sister. And, he certainly knows how to handle a few bullies! Thank you so much!**

 **SnowNinjaAJ: Haha, that's good to hear! I am... nothing like Kai, so writing him is a fun challenge. XD Sorry I couldn't post on Christmas! You never think the holiday season will be so stressful until it's upon you -_-; Sidenote: the link for your fanart for Lost Soul didn't show up in your last review (and I was so sad I couldn't see it (;﹏;)) Try retyping it with spaces in between the periods! Also, in partial response to your review of Lost Soul, of COURSE you can make the cover! I would absolutely LOVE that! Thank you so much!**

 **And, now, the first "Five Times" chapter EVER featuring Nya! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Kai was on top of the world.

He'd just returned to the Destiny's Bounty after a very successful date with Skylor with the plus of a goodbye kiss _and_ a leftover half of a smoothie in hand. (Strawberry, or in other words, the best flavor.)

He was heading down the hallway in search of his siblings (to which he could brag about his amazing lady skills.) He heard voices and laughter emanating from the living room, and when he got closer he could just make out the words-

"Take that, Evildoer!"

Kai dropped his smoothie.

He rushed into the room, hoping beyond hope that they weren't watching- they couldn't be watching- she _wouldn't_ -

Kai froze in the doorway when he saw all his brothers and his sister gathered around the TV screen.

Showing his ten year old self wearing armor made out of cardboard and brandishing a coat hanger for a sword.

"And, that! And, that!" Little Kai shouted as he kicked the visage of an enemy, poorly drawn by his own hand on another piece of cardboard. "You are no match for Kai, Defender of the Weak, Hero of the People, Super Handsome and Cool Ladies Man-"

Young Kai's voice off abruptly when the camera suddenly dropped toward the ground, but the ninja within the room were drowning in roaring laughter, pounding the furniture, holding their stomachs, everything.

Kai himself had been turned to stone by cold horror.

"Nya! You have to point the camera at me, so we can finish the movie!" Said Kai's voice from offscreen as the camera filmed the grass and a small pair of girl's shoes.

"I'm bored, Kai! I wanna be in the movie!"

Kai's red sneakers joined Nya's shoes in the frame. "Look, movie's have two important people. The _star_ , which is me, and the cameraperson, which is you!"

"This is stupid! I wanna be a samurai!"

"Well, samurai are stupid!"

"Fine, you big jerk! Finish the movie yourself!" The camera jostled as Nya turned and stomped away.

"No, Nya, wait!" The sound of running feet, and then the camera moved to show Kai on his knees with hands clasped- begging his little sister like a complete and utter loser, much to his brothers' amusement. "I promise we'll play samurai after we finish the movie!"

Little Nya hummed. "Hm… okay."

Just as the camera swung up to focus on Kai in a cinematic style, and he prepared to continue his film, actual Kai sprinted into the room, turned off the TV, and ejected the tape from the VCR.

"Kai! You're back!" Nya greeted jovially. "I was just-"

" _What have you done_?!" He demanded, shoving the tape in her face.

Nya cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I thought- I thought I destroyed this!" Kai held the tape in both hands, staring at in disbelief.

"What and get rid of all the evidence of your heroic escapades?" Jay remarked, cueing laughter from himself and the other guys.

Kai's ears burned bright pink.

"I mean, why didn't you tell us you were such a hotshot before we met you?" Cole asked, making the laughter begin anew.

Kai's face was on fire.

"Kai, what's the big deal?" Nya asked sincerely, looking up at him from her position on the couch.

" _What's the big deal_?!" Kai repeated. "It's-It's embarrassing!"

Nya rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "No, it's not. It's cute!"

"Kai, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Lloyd reassured, standing up from the couch and laying a hand on the red ninja's shoulder.

Kai sighed with relief. At least he had one ally. "Thanks, Ll-"

"I mean, you have so many titles! Defender of the Weak, Hero of the People, _and_ Super Handsome and Cool Ladies Man? You should be proud!"

The laughter was so loud he was sure his eardrums would pop.

He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, positive his blush could be seen from miles away.

"Kai!" He groaned as Nya caught up to him in the hallway. "Kai, what are you so upset about?"

"What do you think?" He growled, turning on his heel to face her. "You _knew_ I hated that video!"

She crossed her arms with a disapproving frown. "I _thought_ you were mature enough to not be bothered by it anymore."

Kai huffed, knowing that any way he responded to that statement, he would lose. That was Nya's usual tactic in an argument, which made fighting with her all the more frustrating- and fruitless.

"Just- why would you show it to them?" He asked, grip tightening on the tape as if afraid she would rip it right out of his hand.

"We were just talking, and Zane was sharing some memories about his father, and I remembered I'd found some of our old home movies at the blacksmith shop last time we visited…," she stopped, squinting incredulously as she studied Kai's face. "You're really upset about this, aren't you?"

"Did you _hear_ them laughing at me?" Kai gestured toward the living room, where faint chuckles could still be heard. "I'm never going to live this down!"

Nya rolled her eyes once again. "Don't you think you're exaggerating a _little_ bit? I mean, they're only teasing, Kai! Wouldn't you do the same thing to them?"

Kai pressed his mouth into a line. Once again, the question was a trap: one answer validated her, and the other was a lie and they both knew it.

"Are there any other secrets I should specifically tell you not to share with everyone? Or, you've already told them all?" Kai asked sarcastically before stomping down the hall and slamming his bedroom door shut.

Nya was shocked into silence. Eventually she clenched her fists and yelled at the closed door. "You are such a _baby_!"

And, with that, she marched into her bedroom and slammed her own door.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Jay, Cole, and Lloyd were trying to explain to Zane why the video was so funny. They did not succeed.

* * *

Dinner was awkward to say the least.

Jay, Cole, and Lloyd, after having discovered what a touchy subject it was, had stopped joking about the video altogether and made sure to walk on eggshells around Kai. Zane, per usual, had not understood the joke but did notice the increased hostility between Nya and Kai.

The two siblings who were currently shooting death glares at each other from opposite sides of the table.

"So, um… great food, Zane," Lloyd complimented hesitantly, trying to breathe life into the decidedly uncomfortable atmosphere. Master Wu and Misako were out, leaving him unofficially in charge. Therefore, he took it upon himself to at least attempt to repair… _whatever_ it was that had been broken, especially since he was partially to blame.

"Thank you, Lloyd," Zane chirped. "Though, it is a recipe I commonly make and so is not deserving of such praise."

Cole rolled his eyes in exasperation before asking, "Is there cake?"

"No."

"Can you make a cake?"

"I can."

"Cole, it's ' _may_ you make a cake?'" Jay corrected, though his eyes were shooting back and forth between Nya and Kai, as if he were watching a tennis match.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's not."

"What, are you suddenly the grammar-"

"Ugh, what is your _deal_? Are you seriously still sulking about this?" Nya yelled, standing up and slamming her palms on the table.

"What's _my_ deal?" Kai repeated, also standing and planting his own palms on the table. "My _deal_ is that I now have trust issues! I thought it was an unspoken rule between siblings to keep each other's secrets!"

"How was I supposed to know it was a secret?! I thought it was just a cute, fun memory that all of us could laugh at! Because, news flash, Kai, we're _all_ siblings!"

"You- you know what I mean!"

Their glares intensified twenty fold.

Lloyd drummed his fingers on the table. "So, um… cake, right?"

Kai and Nya groaned in unison and stomped in the direction of their bedrooms, inviting a brief scuffle in the hall when they both tried to go first. Nya won out, and Kai made sure to broadcast his unhappiness with that with the loudest door slam to date.

The dining room was quiet.

"This has to end soon, right?" Jay asked, peering at his remaining brothers questioningly.

"Yeah," Cole nodded confidently, glancing at the silent hallway over his shoulder. "They'll make up in no time."

* * *

Three days passed.

The cold war between the siblings persisted.

They all knew that both Kai and Nya were notoriously stubborn, but it was getting a bit ridiculous. Ignoring each other, making biting remarks about each other, bumping into each other "on accident." The other four were getting fed up with it all but had no idea what they could do to help.

They had taken to simply disappearing when Kai and Nya began yelling at each other.

"I'm just _baffled_ as to why you would think that would be okay!" Kai shouted, throwing his arms up to demonstrate said bafflement.

"And, I'm _baffled_ as to why this would bother you so much! You were _ten_! Everyone does embarrassing things when they're kids!" Nya argued just as heatedly.

"Oh, don't act like you don't know," Kai sneered, crossing his arms and turning away slightly.

"No, I really don't. Care to enlighten me?"

"I guess you wouldn't know. You're _Nya_ , and I'm… Kai."

Nya blinked. "You just said our names."

Kai shook his head in frustration. "See? You don't get it! You're this super amazing person that keeps breaking down barriers and defying expectations and being good at everything like you always have! You don't care what other people think, but I… do." He finished lamely, all the wind having gone out of his sails by the time he reached the end.

Nya wasn't sure if she should be touched by the compliment, empathetic because of Kai's… concerning desperation for approval, or angry because he hadn't just _said_ that before. "Kai…,"

He brushed past her and quickly disappeared into his bedroom.

And, Nya got an idea.

* * *

Kai looked up when he heard a quiet knock on his door.

"Kai? Can I come in?"

It was Nya. Kai considered not answering, since he didn't want to face her after the mortifying confession he had made the day before. Figuring she would eventually come in anyway, though, he grunted. "Yeah."

She opened the door, stepping softly in the room and seating herself gingerly on the edge of the bed he was currently laying on.

"I'm… sorry," she said after a moment.

Kai sat up. Getting an apology was gratifying enough, but getting an apology from _Nya_ was near impossible.

"I honestly didn't know showing them the video would upset you so much. You know I wouldn't have shown them if I had, right?" She looked back at him, trying to convey sincerity with her eyes.

Kai sighed, then nodded. "Yeah." He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "I'm sorry too. I guess… I guess _maybe_ I overreacted. A little."

She laughed, and it was nice to hear that sound after so many days without it. "Wow, the remorse is just _bursting_ out of that apology." Clearing her throat, she continued. "But… I've been thinking about what you said yesterday."

He was already shaking his head. "No, I shouldn't have-"

"If I'm _Nya_ , then you're _Kai_." She asserted, nodding her head firmly. "All of us, you and me, Lloyd, Zane, Cole, Jay… we're the same. We're family and you accept family no matter what, so it _doesn't_ matter what other people think."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, Nya, so-"

"But, I do have a surprise for you."

Both of Kai's eyebrows shot up. "A surprise?"

"C'mon!" She grabbed his hand, yanking him off the bed and down the hall.

"Wait, what kind of surprise?!" He yelled, hoping his arm would still be intact when they arrived at their destination.

She didn't answer. Just pulled him into the living room- where his four brothers were waiting expectantly. She shoved him onto the couch.

Kai glanced at each of his siblings suspiciously. "What's… going on?"

"Just watch." Nya commanded.

Kai directed his attention toward the blank TV screen, still wary. Zane pushed play on the remote.

Suddenly, a stage appeared on screen with four little kids on it. Hip hop music emanated from the speakers, and the kids were… dancing? In fact, the one on the far right looked a little bit like-

Kai turned to Cole who was sitting beside him on the couch and already cringing.

"Perfect execution! I always told him he was a natural!" Lou's voice sounded over the music, apparently wanting to record and narrate the dance recital for posterity's sake.

"Aw, Cole, you were so cute!" Jay remarked. "What happened?"

The black ninja threw a pillow at him. "Wait thirty seconds and see if I'm 'cute' then."

"Yes! Beautiful somersault. I knew those tumbling classes would come in handy," Lou whispered, zooming in on Cole before zooming back out to capture the whole quartet.

"Somehow my dad finds a way to be embarrassing even when he's by himself," Cole grumbled, burying his face in his hands.

Zane pat him on the back. "I think it is wonderful that your father is proud of you, Cole."

"And, _now_ , Cole is going to attempt the Triple Tiger Sashay!" Lou announced excitedly. Five of the ninja gasped, now knowing how this was going to end. "It's never been completed, but I have faith-"

Lou cut himself off and held his breath as Cole began the Triple Tiger Sashay. One flip, two-

Something went wrong; the footing wasn't right. The panic was evident on Cole's face and on the faces of his quartet as he began falling…

His face collided with the stage floor with a sickening _crunch_. Cole winced beside Kai, rubbing his nose as if he could still feel the impact of that fall.

The entire auditorium, including Lou, was frozen as the music continued regardless.

Then Cole lifted his head, blood gushing from his nose and mouth. He was missing his two front teeth.

And, he started bawling on stage. In front of everyone.

"Oh my gosh," Lou whispered. He stood, and from the way the camera was jostled about, they guessed he started running down the aisle. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh."

Suddenly the camera was brought to eye level again, revealing one last glance at a sobbing and bloody Cole as Lou muttered, "How do you turn this thing-"

The video ended.

Cole fell against the back of the couch, covering his face with another nearby couch cushion. "There you have it." His voice was muffled. "My most humiliating moment, captured on camera for everyone to see. Go ahead. Laugh."

And, his siblings did just that.

"Did you see his _face_ right before he fell? Priceless!"

"And, the way he started _crying_! On _stage_!"

"What is so funny? I thought it was rather sad."

"Way to kill the mood, Zane."

"Okay, okay, okay," Kai waved his arms in the air so he could get everyone's attention. "That was _hilarious_ , and we should definitely send it into one of those home movie contest TV shows-"

"Absolutely not!" Cole interrupted.

Kai continued heedlessly. "But, _why_ did we watch it?"

" _Because_ , Kai," Nya replied, leaning on her elbows over the back of the couch. "We're all the same. We all have our embarrassing moments, and I wanted to prove it to you. Who's next? Jay?"

"Okay, but mine's kind of graphic…," The blue ninja muttered as he switched out Cole's video with his own.

"Graphic? How so?" Zane asked.

"Hm… think 'projectile vomiting.'"

"Oh, I can't _wait_ for this!" Cole sprung out from under his couch cushion of shame, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

And so, they watched Jay vomit on his teacher at his preschool graduation, Lloyd sing his mom a very out-of-tune and poorly written song on Mother's Day, and Zane… well, most of Zane's memories were him being confused about human stuff, which they saw plenty of every day. But, everyone was laughing, even the ninja in question, and Kai could _sort of, maybe_ see where Nya was coming from. Of course it was embarrassing, but it was also… no big deal. All in good fun, and nobody thought any less of anyone else.

Since he was in such a good mood and glad to not be fighting with his sister anymore, he was going to (begrudgingly) tell her that she had been right. He turned- and froze when he saw _The Tape_ in her hands that he had obviously not hidden well enough.

"Don't you think I've been tortured enough?" He protested as she bent down in front of the VCR to insert the tape.

"It's not that, Kai," Nya argued, taking up the remote. "This is the _real_ part of the video I wanted to show them."

Confused, Kai and his brothers turned to watch the screen.

It began where Kai had so rudely interrupted it several days before, with Little Nya agreeing to finish filming the movie. Kai had to bite his lip to keep from ripping the VCR's cord out of the wall as Cole and Jay elbowed him playfully.

Little Kai on screen gasped. "Oh no! The Bad Guy is getting away!"

"Wait," Nya's voice said, and Kai looked over the camera at her with an irritated expression. "Does the bad guy have a name?"

"That _is_ his name."

"That's dumb."

"Well, no one asked you." Kai turned and began running. "C'mon, Nya!"

They heard huffs as the shorter and smaller Nya struggled to keep up with Kai, the camera bouncing around wildly with Kai usually missing from the shot altogether.

She screamed when she tripped.

The camera went flying through the air, landing so it showed a sideways shot of an eight year old Nya in shorts and a t-shirt holding her scraped knee and trying not to cry.

"Nya!" Suddenly, Kai reappeared, sliding to kneel by her side. "Are you okay?"

Nya looked up at him helplessly, eyes filled with tears and bottom lip trembling ever so slightly.

"Here, let me see." He moved her hand and studied her knee. It wasn't bad at all, just a scratch, but it was bleeding a little bit and, to an eight year old, that was the kiss of death.

Kai grabbed Nya's shoulders with a huge smile on his face. "I told you you were invincible!"

Nya balked, though the panic from before had completely disappeared. "Huh?"

"The prophecy said that anyone that, um, Death… Deathmatron touched with his Evil Samurai Sword of Death would instantly die! And, the one who survived was the samurai that would one day defeat him!" He gestured to her knee. "Look, he barely scratched you! That means you're the samurai in the prophecy, Nya!"

Nya stared at Kai in disbelief a moment longer… then grinned. "I thought you didn't want to play samurai?"

"Eh, you were right. The movie was stupid." Kai shrugged, then jumped to his feet and ran away. "Oh no, help me, Nya! Deathmatron's got me!"

Nya scrambled for Kai's coat hanger sword then ran after her brother, bloody knee forgotten. "Give me back my brother, Deathmatron!"

The camera was forgotten on the ground.

Nya stopped the video- eliciting four perfectly in sync "aww…"s from her brothers and a sheepish eye roll from Kai.

"That was so sweet!" Jay exclaimed. "Hey, Nya, is that why you became Samurai X?"

"Partly, yeah," she admitted, squeezing in between Cole and Kai on the couch. "None of the other boys in our village would let a girl play with them unless she was the damsel in distress, but Kai always let me be a hero."

Kai groaned when his brothers "aww…"ed again. Then, shrugging off his embarrassment, he smirked. "Yeah, I'm just an all around great guy."

"Yeah, you are," Nya confirmed, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Ew!" Kai shrieked, rapidly wiping his violated cheek with his hand. "You just had to go and ruin it, didn't you, Nya?"

Jay kneeled in front of the VCR, ejecting the tape. "Hey, you think Skylor might want to watch this?"

Kai's eyes widened. "You wouldn't _dare_."

"I think she would enjoy watching it very much," Cole replied as if Kai hadn't spoken, nodding righteously.

"Guys, that's not funny!"

"You know, I think I have her number," Lloyd offered, pulling his green phone out of his pocket. "Let me just send her a quick text…,"

Kai lunged at Jay, trying to grab the tape from him, but the blue ninja only threw it to Cole, who tossed it to Zane, who passed it to Lloyd, who slid it to Nya, beginning the most epic game of Keep Away the Destiny's Bounty had ever seen.

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked it! I suppose I should have mentioned this before, but if you want to leave a suggestion for a specific chapter of a "Five Times," (like what happens between Kai and Zane for example), feel free to do so! But, as always, no pressure! :D**


	3. Zane

**Happy New Year! :D Thank you to everyone who has read my story so far! You have no idea how happy it makes me!**

 **Special thanks to YinYangBroandSis, RandomDragon2.0, MidnightStarHunter, SpitfirewaterNinja, LiaLia15, SnowNinjaAJ, Peanut2196, Spottedfrost7, RobinLost, rbrill345, DarkRed101, musicalsaregood, StoriesAreMagic, Nali Nali Nalina, Pushu, TheYellowNinja, Legoninjagokai for reviewing! You guys are amazing! :D**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **SnowNinjaAJ: I'm glad you liked Zane's total obliviousness! And, them teasing Kai about Skylor! :D Haha, that's a great idea about Lloyd, but I have something a *bit* more angsty in mind ;D Thank you so much for review (and again for the awesome art! :D)**

 **rbrill345: Haha, I'm glad you thought it was sweet! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: Yeah, I was a little worried that that chapter would come across a little too mean, but I figured teasing between teenage boys (and Nya) could easily cross the line into cruel without them even realizing. (It happens a lot with my siblings :/) And, Cole's was sad, but I figured enough time had passed for him to be okay with laughing at it! We all need to laugh at ourselves once in a while! Sorry you didn't think it was funny! I hope this chapter is more suited to your tastes! :D And, I agree with you about Kai! I think him and Jay are probably the most insecure ninja, but Kai just does a better job of hiding it. About Lloyd: I don't know if it's just me, but I've always been a bit confused about his timeline. With the whole story about Brad putting ants in his bed on his first day, I figured that he must have been dropped off there relatively recently? But, then Lloyd talks about his mom abandoned super early in life? But, he still recognizes her? Sorry I'm a little hazy on those details, but for the purposes of the story, yes, it was before he was dropped off at Darkley's. Sorry for the confusion! Here is Zane's chapter, so let me know if you think it's realistic enough!**

 **Pushu: Aw, you are too kind! (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ Your compliments meant the world to me! I hope you continue to like the story! Thank you for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Aw, I'm glad to hear you thought it was sweet! I love sibling fluff! (Obviously :D) I decided to go with a bit more subtle approach to Zane's chapter, so let me know what you think! Thank you so much!**

 **Legoninjagokai: Kai is definitely much more than a hothead! He's sweet, insecure, and totally awesome all at once! I'm so happy you liked it, and thank you for reviewing!**

* * *

Kai was in pain.

Make that mind-numbing, throbbing, constant, _excruciating_ pain.

He groaned (read: whimpered) as he sat up in bed, cradling the right side of his jaw. He'd gone to bed last night hoping the pain would have disappeared by the time he woke up, the same wish he had made every night for the past two weeks. Of course it hadn't been that bad back then, but at this point he considered taking a pair of pliers to the mouth and ripping the tooth out himself.

Because, Kai had a cavity.

And, if anybody had complained so much about a cavity before, Kai probably would have laughed in their face, because how much could one little tooth hurt? Now, he would not only sympathize with them but beat up anybody who dared to claim otherwise. Because one little tooth hurt _a lot_.

He allowed himself to continue his whining as he dressed and _attempted_ to brush his teeth, grimacing when his spit was bloody, but forced himself to suck it up when he left his room and entered the kitchen.

"Hey, guys," he greeted as he sat at the table, receiving reciprocal salutations from Zane, Lloyd, and Nya.

"Ha, eat my dust!"

"I'm already on my second bowl!"

Kai raised his eyebrow at Jay and Cole who were furiously scarfing down cereal. "What are they doing?

"Fighting for the toy in cereal box," Nya explained with an eye roll. "Whoever eats more of the cereal gets it."

Kai balked. " _Why_?"

"It's a Fritz Donnegan action figure!" Jay exclaimed, pointing at the said prize in the center of the table.

"I want it so Jay can't have it." Cole shrugged. "Want us to cut you in, Kai? You'll have to do some catch up, but I have faith…," he wiggled the half full cereal box invitingly.

Kai cringed at the thought of anything remotely _hard_ , _crunchy_ , _brittle_ , or _crispy_ coming anywhere near his mouth. And, having it be a _race_ left too much room for error; a piece of cereal could easily get trapped by his hurt tooth and only _then_ would Kai know the meaning of excruciating pain.

"I'm good." He waved a hand at them to continue, and they did so immediately.

"How do you want your eggs, Kai?" Zane asked, looking at him from where he stood in front of the stove.

Kai met Zane's gaze warily. He'd managed to trick everyone else, managed to hide the cavity from all of his siblings… except Zane. Now, the nindroid hadn't confronted Kai or even shown any hint that he knew what was going on, but Kai saw it in the way Zane gave him that searching gaze sometimes, the way Zane gave him just a _little_ more attention than usual during meal times, the way Zane always seemed to show up right as Kai was holding his aching and swollen jaw...

Or, the pain was making Kai paranoid.

"Um, scrambled," he replied.

"You seem to have taken a liking to scrambled eggs," Zane commented innocently as he cracked the egg in the frying pan. "I recall you saying that the texture was too slimy for your tastes."

Well, yes, but slimy was another word for _soft_ and _least likely to make him the first victim of death by cavity pain_.

"Hey, he's right! You always made fun of me for liking them," Lloyd pointed out before taking a bite of the meal in question.

"What's with the interrogation? People's tastes change," Kai snapped, crossing his arms but his heart was nearly beating out of his chest.

"Of course," Zane agreed, approaching the table and placing the plate of scrambled eggs in front of Kai. The red ninja scrutinized the nindroid, but Zane seemed perfectly cheerful and not suspicious in the slightest.

Which is exactly what he wanted Kai to think.

"Coffee?" Zane offered.

Kai always drank coffee with breakfast, so Zane would know for sure that something was up if he refused… but coffee was so hot and unforgiving to sensitive, rotten teeth…

"Sure," he nodded in silent challenge.

Zane only smiled, leaving to fill a mug and then handing it to Kai.

"Thanks," the red ninja said.

"It's no trouble at all!" Zane replied. Only once all of his siblings were served did Zane sit down to his own meal. He seemed more than interested in Jay and Cole's cereal battle…

Cautiously, Kai took a bite of his scrambled eggs. Chewing on the left side of his mouth was bearable enough, but that side of his mouth was also becoming worn out from the increased amount of exertion it was forced to undertake.

He'd managed to eat half of them before giving up, even though he was still hungry. He could have sworn he felt Zane's eyes on him, but when he looked up, the nindroid was laughing as Jay and Cole played a tug-of-war for the cereal box for the privilege of pouring a new bowl first.

He'd have to drink the coffee to throw him off the scent.

Hoping it had cooled down even marginally, Kai raised the mug to his lips and took the _tiniest_ sip possible-

Then bit his lip, shut his eyes, tapped his foot, _anything_ to screen out the agony pulsating in his gums...

Finally, it passed. He set the mug down.

Zane was looking at him. Kai raised an eyebrow challengingly. The white ninja looked away.

Kai counted it as a victory.

* * *

Kai filed in with the rest of his siblings for dinner. He wasn't worried; usually he could find _something_ to eat, whether it be mashed potatoes, soup, soft dinner rolls... The rest he kind of cut up and picked at to make it look like he'd eaten it, but he was sure nobody else noticed.

Except Zane.

"What's for dinner, Zane? I'm starving!" Cole announced as they seated themselves around the dining table.

"Well, I have made crispy pork spring rolls…,"

 _Too hard_.

"With chickpeas on the side…,"

 _Way too hard_.

"Celery apple salad…,"

 _Way,_ way _too hard_.

"And, chocolate-almond toffee for dessert!"

 _You have_ got _to be kidding me_.

And, Kai could've _sworn_ Zane was smirking at him as he said it.

"Sounds great!" Kai complimented defiantly, levelling a glare at the nindroid.

"Glad to hear it, Kai! I will be sure to give you an extra helping of each."

Kai almost couldn't stop the whine from escaping his mouth.

* * *

The next day, Kai was starving, and he knew that Zane was trying to kill him. He had barely been able to eat anything last night. What he could choke down he had cut into very, very small pieces, and while everyone else was too enraptured by the conversation to notice, he was positive Zane had been watching him.

He hated to show even the slightest weakness in front of the enemy (since that was indeed what Zane had become), but he basically dove at the scrambled eggs at breakfast like a dying man. It didn't help that his tooth was somehow bothering him even more than yesterday and his gums had swollen around it.

But, now there was training, something that could always get his mind off his tooth.

Master Wu stood in front of his students on the deck of the Destiny's Bounty, arms behind his back. "Now, you will split up to spar. Zane, you will-"

Zane raised his hand.

"Yes, Zane."

"May I be paired up with Kai, Sensei?"

Several thousand alarms went off in Kai's head.

"I don't see why not," Master Wu replied, ignoring Kai's very loud telepathic messages to refuse. "Zane, you will spar with Kai. Jay, you will…,"

Kai wasn't listening. He shot his best death stare at Zane who was moving to face him. The nindroid blinked back at him with wide, innocent eyes, as if he had no ulterior motive for _specifically_ requesting Kai as a sparring partner. Now, Kai couldn't figure out what that ulterior motive _was_ exactly, but whatever it was, Zane wasn't going to get away with it, that was for _sure_.

"Ready to get your butt whooped, Zane?" He taunted, lowering himself into a fighting stance.

"No."

Kai rolled his eyes. Zane was horrible at trash talk.

Master Wu gave them the signal to begin, and Kai moved first, aiming a kick at Zane's midsection. Zane dodged to the side, aiming a jab at Kai's chest, knocking him off balance. Kai fell backward into roll, pushing himself back to his feet- but Zane was there, sweeping his legs out from under him.

Kai hit the ground. Acting more dazed than he was, he let Zane move closer, and then swept his legs out from under him in retaliation. Kai was about to leap to his feet, when he felt Zane's hand lock around his wrist. The nindroid yanked him down, wrenching his arm behind his back and forcing Kai face down on the ground.

Kai was just about to break out of the hold- they'd practiced this maneuver plenty of times and he wasn't concerned in the slightest- until, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zane's palm headed directly for his face.

He knew what was going to happen a second too late.

Zane smacked Kai directly on his swollen jaw.

 _Blinding_ \- _searing_ \- _white hot_ \- _pain_ consumed Kai's mouth, brain, _body_ … He knew he must have cried out, and at some point Zane let him go because he was clutching his jaw with both hands as if that way he could shut out the _pain_ …

When the wave of nausea had passed, and Kai could see again, everyone, including his siblings and Master Wu, were staring at him in concern.

"What happened?" Master Wu demanded.

"It was my fault, Sensei," Zane volunteered, now standing over Kai, who was still crouched in residual pain and fear of discovery on the ground. "I fear I may have slammed Kai's head too hard against the deck."

Kai blinked up at the dishonest nindroid. That wasn't what had happened at all; besides open-handed strikes were definitely allowed, and, though Zane had plunged Kai into a worse agony than any he had ever known, the red ninja could objectively tell that Zane had barely tapped him at that.

"May I take him inside to ensure he does not have a concussion?"

Ah. The truth comes out. Zane just wanted to get Kai alone.

"Of course. Please be thorough with your inspection," Master Wu replied, nodding. "The rest of you, back to training."

Kai let himself be helped to his feet and led by Zane for appearance's sake as the sounds of fighting filled the air once again. Once they passed into the living room though, away from prying eyes, he threw Zane off him.

"What the heck, Zane?!" Kai snapped, going to cradle his jaw again. There was no point in trying to hide it anymore. "Why would you- I mean… you _knew_?"

"Of course I knew. I've noticed your odd behavior for the past two weeks, and when your eating patterns changed and you seemed to be in constant pain, I concluded it must be a cavity, and a serious one at that." Zane explained calmly.

Kai felt the rage building up inside him. "Then, why would you hit me there? Wait… you wanted to spar with me, because… that was your plan the whole time! That's really messed up, Zane." He spit, turning on his heel to stomp out.

Zane grabbed his shoulder. His voice was gentle. "Kai, you forced my hand. You've refused to tell anyone that you're in pain, and as far as I can tell you haven't made a dentist appointment. I knew you would never admit it if I asked, so, tell me, what else could I do?"

Kai shrugged the hand off, but obediently stayed in the room, instead rounding on the nindroid. "What else could you do? Leave it alone. I didn't ask for help, because I didn't _want_ help, and I _certainly_ didn't want a slap to the face."

"I'm sorry I hit you," Zane said apologetically. "But, this can't go on, Kai. What if I had been an enemy? After I hit your jaw, you were completely defenseless. It's a liability," He explained softly. Kai wanted to hate him for being patronizing, but part of him knew that Zane was right. "Besides, Kai… I can't stand to see you in so much pain."

Kai didn't say anything.

"What I don't understand is how the pain became so severe in the first place. Our last dental appointments were scarcely two months ago. Surely they would have filled the cavity before it progressed to this state?"

Kai sighed, knowing he was never going to get out of this now that Zane knew. Even if Kai escaped his questions now, the nindroid would pursue him until the end of the time.

The red ninja stalked over to the couch, collapsing into it and throwing an arm over his eyes as if he was exhausted; and, in truth, he was. Tired of hiding it, tired of not being able to eat and drink like a normal person, tired of having his own body turn against him.

"They didn't fill it, because…," Kai sighed. "I didn't go to that appointment."

He felt the couch sink slightly as Zane perched on the adjacent cushion. "You didn't?"

"I told you guys I was going and then went to get frozen yogurt instead," Kai elaborated sheepishly.

And, then the question Kai was dreading, the question that had made him adopt this whole charade in the first place.

"Why?"

Kai hesitated as he tried to think about the best way to respond.

"Are you afraid of the dentist, Kai? Is that why you refuse to go even now?"

"No, I'm not scared," Kai refuted immediately, sitting up so he could meet Zane's eyes. "I just… I don't like the idea of strangers in my mouth, alright?" He blinked, dropping his head into his hands and running his fingers through his hair. "Okay, that came out sounding _really_ weird…,"

"Ah," Zane spoke up, nodding as if he had solved the world's most difficult puzzle. "A fear of vulnerability."

"Would you quit calling it a fear?" Kai snapped, standing up to pace in front of the couch. "I mean, with what we do…, we see a lot of bad people, you know? The worst kinds of people. People who hurt others for fun or for selfish gain or power or… and so how can I trust some stranger to put sharp objects in my mouth and _not_ cut off my tongue?"

Kai sighed, holding his head. "I sound like a crazy person."

"No, Kai, I understand exactly what you mean," Zane reassured.

The red ninja looked up. "You do?"

"Yes," Zane nodded. "As a nindroid, I am _always_ vulnerable. I can be hacked, I can be shut down against my will, my coding could be altered to the point where I do not even know my own name. In regards to my own person, I am actually quite helpless."

Kai processed this information, slowly approaching Zane and sitting beside him on the couch once again. "I guess I never thought about that." To never be fully in control of your own body, to always be open to an attack that would be impossible to stop, to always be afraid that you won't… be _you_ when you wake up. "How do… How do you deal with it?"

Zane smiled, squeezing Kai's shoulder. "I trust in those around me. When Jay or Nya shuts me down in order to make repairs, I have to trust that they will restore me to the way I am meant to be. I have to trust that you, my siblings, would not allow me to remain the slave of a hacker. I have to trust that you will not blame me for what I might do under the control of another. I have to trust that you will not relegate me to the scrap heap just yet." Zane chuckled good-naturedly.

Put all his trust in others instead of himself? Yeah, not really Kai's best quality.

"So, Kai, I am asking you to trust me, because I cannot allow you to go on another day like this. If I accompany you, will you go to the dentist? I assure you nothing unpleasant will befall you while I am there."

Kai grimaced, feeling the beginnings of a blush stain his cheeks. Needing someone to hold his hand while he did something as simple as go to the dentist? Like a little kid when he was almost an adult? Being scared of something so stupid, something so common? No, he would just have to suck it up and go himself. Or have a cavity for the rest of his life…

Then again, knowing Zane was in the waiting room less than twenty feet away would make him feel safer, as humiliating as it was to admit. And, knowing himself as well as he did, he was positive that, if he tried to go by himself, he'd end up chickening out at the last second. And, he really didn't want to be in so much pain anymore…

Hesitantly, he met Zane's eyes. "Promise you won't tell the others?"

Zane nodded, grinning. "Promise."

* * *

"See, Kai? Nothing to worry about! Why, it was over in no time!"

Kai grunted. He knew Zane was right, and he had to admit that _finally_ ridding himself of that pain was worth almost any price, but now all he wanted to do was go home and sleep. Not only did he not like the numb feeling in his mouth (though it was of course preferable to the agony of the cavity), but he'd also had a mini panic attack when he saw the drill descending toward his mouth and they had to have Zane calm him down before they could begin.

So, he was numb, embarrassed, and relieved all at once, and that seemed like a recipe for sleep if there ever was one.

They were almost back at the Destiny's Bounty now, and Zane said to Kai, "I hope you will allow me to accompany to future appointments."

Kai hesitated then nodded gratefully. He wanted to express that gratitude verbally, but he knew attempting to speak would just yield garbled sounds and probably a lot of spit. So, quickly peering about to make sure no one was looking, he gave Zane a quick, but tight, hug, figuring he couldn't embarrass himself anymore than he already had that day.

Zane was grinning when Kai pulled away. "You're very welcome."

* * *

 **Nobody can hide anything from Zane for very long, can they? XD**

 **I should probably stop putting this, but suggestions for "Five Times" are always open XD**


	4. Cole

**Thank you, everyone who's read and supported this story! :D**

 **Special thanks to RandomDragon2.0, YinYangBroandSis, Serkeru, StoriesAreMagic, TheYellowNinja, Peanut2196, SnowNinjaAJ, MagicWords22, narutofanficlov321, Nali Nali Nalina, SpitfirewaterNinja, and rbrill345 for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Wow, snuck away from a family get together!? I'm honored! You are exactly right, and I wanted to expand on some of the ways being a nindroid might be hard on Zane. Zane is definitely a guy to look up to! Aw, you are too kind!** **(＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ I hope the socializing wasn't *too* bad! XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **SnowNinjaAJ: Ugh, your dentist experience sounds awful! I know it's a common fear for people, and it's because of things like that that happen! Zane is definitely a very determined problem solver! And, I think I will do Lloyd's "Five Times" based on him being a kid :D We'll see ;D Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: Kai's paranoia was definitely justified XD In the end, Cole would have won but he either just gave Jay the action figure or purposely slowed down near the end so Jay would win. XD Zane is a very clever nindroid, and he figured out exactly how to get Kai to admit it XD Kai might have a full on panic attack if he had to go under for surgery! :O I thought about this, but I figured Zane was okay with the pirate voice since he knew Jay didn't do it out of malice! :D I know, I loved the imagery of Zane having to calm Kai down! I'm glad you liked it too! Thank you so much! :D**

 **rbrill345: Aw, I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled. Not fun :/ But, you're right, Kai shouldn't be embarrassed! Thank you for reviewing! :D**

* * *

Kai was sulking.

Now, he would never _admit_ that he was sulking, because cool guys didn't sulk, but he was lying on the couch in the dark living room at nine o'clock at night watching TV, scrolling through his Chirper feed, and eating chips.

So, he was sulking.

The thing was he wouldn't even _be_ sulking if it weren't for stupid Cole's stupid face. Not only was his "brother" the sole cause of the fight they'd had, but Cole had also stormed off the Destiny's Bounty and into Ninjago City when he knew full well that storming off was _totally_ Kai's thing. And, if Cole stormed off first, then Kai couldn't _also_ storm off, because storming off entailed leaving someone behind and there was no one left to be mad at in the Destiny's Bounty. So, Kai was forced to stay here and lick his wounds like a loser.

Stupid Cole.

And, _maybe_ Kai could have gotten over it by now if there was anyone left to distract him, but Master Wu and Misako were on some quasi-date, Nya and Zane were at some late-night museum exhibition, and Lloyd and Jay were at some Fritz Donnegan movie marathon at the theater.

Meaning he was left to stew here alone until someone got back.

The fight was the worst one he'd ever had with Cole, but that was the thing: it was about something completely stupid and inconsequential. Cole was being a baby because Kai didn't want to go see a movie with him, even though Cole _knew for a fact_ that Kai did not like comedies. Action movies were awesome, horror movies were okay in the daytime, but anything else was a waste of time and money, and Kai told him as much.

It had escalated from there until they were yelling at each other, throwing insults and grudges in each other's faces, and had ultimately culminated in Cole stomping out the door. And, he probably _hoped_ Kai would reflect and feel guilty or whatever, but Kai knew without a doubt that he was innocent of all blame. Cole had blown up at him for no reason, and Kai refused to feel remorseful because his completely immature brother was in a bad mood.

So, he would sit here, _not_ sulking, and be ready to hear Cole's big, fat apology for freaking out on him earlier when-

What was that?

Kai muted the TV, listening intensely. He definitely heard a noise.

Standing, ninja skills at the ready, Kai just barely kept himself from yelping when the door swung open.

The light was off, but from the faint glow of the TV, he could make out a silhouette lumbering through the doorway…

He almost sighed in relief when he saw it was Cole, returning from his solo adventure in Ninjago City, but covered it up with a scoff.

"Oh, look who's come crawling back," Kai smirked, crossing his arms. "If you grovel, I _might_ accept your-"

"Not in the mood, Kai," Cole grumbled, heading toward the hallway with barely a passing glance at the red ninja.

"C'mon, you're going to be like _that_?" Kai snapped, watching Cole pass him.

Cole ignored him.

And, Kai _hated_ being ignored.

Taking two steps forward, he lunged to grab his brother's arm. "Cole, you can't just-"

Cole screamed in pain when Kai yanked on his elbow. The red ninja released him as quickly as if Cole had burned him.

The silence was broken only by Cole's labored breathing.

Blindly searching for the light switch, Kai eventually found it, flipping on the light in the living room, and finally he could clearly see Cole.

Cole's black eye. Cole's split lip. Cole's white t-shirt that had been ripped and bloodied in several places. Cole holding his right forearm to relieve some of the pressure on his clearly dislocated shoulder, the one Kai had just pulled on. Cole, pale and biting his lip with eyes shut tight to try to filter out some of the excruciating pain Kai had just caused him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kai ground out, barely able to push the words past the lump in his throat.

"You were a little busy chewing me out, so…," Cole whispered, taking a deep breath.

"What happened?"

"Kai-"

"What. Happened?"

Cole briefly met his eyes before dropping his gaze to the ground. "I got jumped. There were like seven guys. Caught me off guard. Took my wallet. And my phone."

Kai stared incredulously at his brother. "Why didn't you call me from a payphone? I could've picked you up! I could have _helped_ you!"

"Like you would've come." Cole scoffed.

Kai recoiled. "Of _course_ I would have come! What if you had been seriously hurt, Cole? What if you had passed out and no one knew where you were? What if someone saw you injured and decided to finish the job?" By now he was pacing and gesticulating wildly to demonstrate the depth of stupidity Cole had exhibited. "I mean how could be so _stupid_?!"

Cole turned toward the hall once again. "Kai, just _shut up_. Don't act like you care now."

And, Kai would have retaliated in kind with something even more biting and hurtful, inviting a reprise of their earlier argument…

If he hadn't heard the tears in Cole's voice.

He couldn't see his brother's face, as he was obviously trying to hide the fact that he was on the verge of crying, but Kai could tell. They could always tell with each other. Cole was in real, legitimate pain, and Kai was not helping by being a jerk about it.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kai asked quietly, all the anger having gone out of his voice. "I _do_ care."

Cole shook his head. "Nothing. It's fine."

"No, I'm serious. What did you mean?" Kai repeated, because Cole didn't refuse help, didn't clam up, didn't want to be alone when he was mad. He only did those things when he was… upset. Kai had really hurt Cole's feelings before, and he was kicking himself for not seeing it sooner.

The black ninja was silent.

"Cole-"

"I just…," Cole took a deep shuddering breath. "I know it's dumb, and I know I overreacted, but I just… thought we could hang out. You know, it's always the six of us, and since everyone else had paired off, I thought we could just go see a movie or whatever… Like I said, it's dumb. I don't even know why I got so mad. Some things on some days just rub you the wrong way, I guess."

It had never been about the movie.

It wasn't comedy vs. action vs. horror. It wasn't a question of wasting money on a movie he didn't really want to see. Cole had just wanted to _spend time_ with him, and Kai had brushed him off like he was some fan or annoying kid. And had indirectly caused his brother to get beat up and robbed.

And now Kai felt like the world's biggest idiot.

"It's not dumb," Kai gently grabbed Cole's uninjured shoulder. "But, if you think I'm going to leave your arm like that, you really are stupid."

Cole's eyebrows shot up. "What now?"

"I said, I'm going to pop your shoulder back into place."

Cole tried to flee, but Kai's grip was like iron. "Oh, no! No way! You don't know how! You'll break my arm!"

"I know how! I popped Jay's back in that one time," Kai pointed out, easily keeping Cole in place. "Besides, we've seen Master Wu do it tons of times."

"Exactly! That's why I want _him_ to do it!" Cole argued, but with one arm useless and the other supporting the first, there wasn't much he could do by way of escape.

"Cole, relax. I know what I'm doing," Kai rolled his eyes and pointed at the floor. "Now, lay down."

Cole grimaced, staring at Kai as if to make sure he wasn't joking. When it was obvious the red ninja was dead serious about this- and _really_ not wanting to spend an unspecified amount of time in agonizing pain- Cole carefully lowered himself to the floor, keeping his injured arm clutched to his chest, and laid on his back.

Kai crouched beside his brother, gently prying the arm away and holding it straight out, both hands locked around the wrist. He kept one foot flat on the ground and planted the other firmly on the upper part of Cole's rib cage.

Kai sighed. "You're too tense."

"Gee, I wonder why."

"Cole, I'm serious. If you don't relax, I could seriously damage your shoulder."

"What!?" Bad idea, bad idea, Cole only tensed up more. What to do, what to do…

"Okay, um… close your eyes."

Cole frowned up at Kai. "How is that supposed to fix my shoulder?"

The red ninja rolled his eyes. "Just do it."

Cole groaned but did as he was told.

"Okay, now imagine that you're somewhere super peaceful in nature," Kai suggested, feeling Cole marginally loosen up beneath his grip. "Like… a forest- or a mountain! You like mountains, right?"

Cole smiled a little, as if trying not to laugh at Kai. "I _do_ like mountains…,"

Kai experimentally pulled ever so slightly on Cole's arm. He didn't scream in pain, so that was a good sign. "And, um… there's like a waterfall in the distance, and it's nighttime! You can see like a million stars, since you're so far from the lights of Ninjago City, and they cover the entire sky."

Cole nodded as Kai kept pulling on his arm. Just a little bit more…

"Okay, sounds pretty. Am I camping or was I stranded here after being attacked by a mountain lion?"

"What? If I'm trying to get you to relax, why would I have a mountain lion attack you?"

Cole hesitated for only a fraction of a second, but it was there. "Just checking if you were… still mad at me."

Kai sighed, keeping constant pressure on Cole's arm. Any second now… "No, I'm not mad." He smirked, getting an idea. "In fact… I'm on the mountain with you."

"Oh, are you now?"

"Yeah, and you're like, 'what are you doing here? I thought you hated hiking.' And, I say, 'Well, I do hate hiking, but I wanted to be here for you.'" Kai tightened his grip on Cole's arm. "And, I'm sorry I wasn't there before."

With a distinctive _pop_ , Cole's shoulder slid back into place.

Cole gasped, opening his eyes and reaching with his opposite hand to gingerly prod his newly realigned shoulder. "You did it! That feels _sooo_ much better."

"Told you I could," Kai replied flippantly, pushing himself to his feet. "But, you're still not going to be able to train or go on missions for a while. I'll go get you some ice."

When Kai returned from the kitchen with ice pack in hand, he saw Cole on his feet, favoring his tender shoulder and standing near the hallway.

"Here," Kai handed it to Cole, who nodded gratefully and pressed it to his shoulder, then arched an eyebrow. "Where are you going? Remember the rule: if you're injured, you get the couch."

Cole mirrored Kai's raised eyebrow with one of his own. "You were here first."

The red ninja displayed both palms in the universal gesture of "hands off." "I don't write the rules, just enforce them. C'mon, lay down."

Cole laughed, but, once again seeing that Kai was not going to budge, reluctantly complied, lying on his uninjured side on the couch. "Yes, nurse."

Kai dove for the remote, seating himself on the floor with his back against the sofa. "So… I believe I remember you saying _something_ about watching a movie…,"

"Kai, we don't have to-"

"How about _Massacre at Dawn_?"

Cole snorted. "You don't like watching horror movies at night."

Kai scoffed, spluttering. "What? Who told you that?" He paused, shrugging. "Besides, you like horror movies, and I… just want to spend a little time with my brother tonight."

Cole grinned, touched. Sitting up slightly, he used the hand of his injured arm to ruffle Kai's hair, making his brother complain and swat his hand away. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from any monsters under your bed."

"Ha ha."

"But, thanks, Kai." He laid back down. "For… everything."

There was a pause as Kai only nodded, officially putting their entire fight and subsequent make up behind them.

Then, Cole said, " _But_ , I'm kind of feeling an action movie instead."

"Oh, thank goodness."

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked it! Next up is Lloyd!**

 **Suggestions are always welcome :D**


	5. Lloyd

**Let me just say thank you to each and every one of you reading right now! You make my day! :D**

 **Special thanks to: Tex1412, SpitfirewaterNinja, DarkRed101, Guest, Guest, SnowNinjaAJ, narutofanficlov321, YinYangBroandSis, StoriesAreMagic, RandomDradon2.0, MagicWords22, Legoninjagokai, TheYellowNinja, Nali Nali Nalina, Peanut2196, rbrill345, and Ninja Pony for reviewing! I cannot describe how awesome you guys are!**

 **Replies to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: Yay! You noticed the pattern! Yes, it was definitely intentional XD I wanted to put in subtle connecting threads between the separate oneshots to solidify them as one coherent story, so I'm glad you like it :D And, you're exactly right! When Kai's not too busy arguing, he knows his brothers like the back of his hand :3 Of course they had to watch the movie! What cuter ending could there have been? XD Thank you so much!**

 **Guest: Ooh, interesting suggestion! I will definitely keep that in mind! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **SnowNinjaAJ: haha, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed learning about Kai's movie preferences XD Yeah, I try to leave them kind of ambiguous so the timeline doesn't really matter. That being said, this chapter takes place sometime after season 3, so… XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Legoninjagokai: aw, that actually made me really happy to hear! Don't worry! There's still two more chapters to go, and, since I'm assuming you like Kai from your username, he will definitely get chapters dedicated to him in future Five Times! Thank you so much!**

 **TheYellowNinja: I definitely feel like Kai and Cole moments are neglected, even in the show! And I totally agree that the others look up to them! :D Aw, it makes me so so so happy that I not only have a recognizable style but that you LIKE it! (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ I hope you like what I decided to do with Lloyd! Thank you so much! :D**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: Kai just can't help himself when one of his siblings is hurt :3 I obviously love Cole too because he is so precious! XD Cole could just tell, because Kai thinks he's discreet when he's really very obvious XD I hope you like what I decided to do with Lloyd's chapter! Thank you so much!**

 **rbrill345: Aw, I'm glad you thought it was as cute as I did AND realistic! Thank you so much!**

 **Ninja Pony: I LOVE your suggestion! I'm very much leaning toward it for Jay, but we'll see ;D Thanks for your review!**

 **One last thing! This takes place some time after season 4 when the Serpentine are living on the surface again! Also, on the angst scale of 1-10 this ranks like 12.5. You have been warned. XD**

* * *

Kai was confident.

A small faction of Serpentine youth with something to prove had decided to cause a scene in the heart of Ninjago City; mostly vandalism and violent threats. Apparently, they had convinced themselves that, despite the whole disaster with the Overlord, Lloyd was still destined to become the Golden Master. The commotion was bait to draw the ninja, but their real goal was to prevent Lloyd from ever reaching that destiny. Naturally, a fight broke out.

Kai wasn't worried. Though the Serpentine certainly had a chip on their shoulder, they weren't particularly skilled fighters. Admittedly they had the numbers, but the ninja had dealt with far worse odds before.

Kai used the butt of his sword to knock a Serpentine unconscious with a quick jab to the head.

"Ha!" The red ninja taunted, admiring his work. "One down-"

"Kai, look out!" He heard Lloyd shout.

He whipped around but could only see a flash of steel before Lloyd was there, pushing him out of the way so he slammed into the concrete, his sword skidding away from him.

Kai gasped, sitting up-

The things he saw couldn't possibly go together.

There- There was Lloyd- and there was a sword, but it seemed almost as if it were sticking out of Lloyd's back, almost as if the sword was _inside_ him- and the strangled gasps of air couldn't possibly be Lloyd's because that would mean that Lloyd was- that Lloyd had- that-

The Constrictai ripped his blade out of Lloyd's abdomen with a shocked expression on his face. Lloyd toppled to the ground like a felled tree, red already staining his green ninja gi.

Kai would have liked to have said that he had jumped into action immediately, treating Lloyd's wound with his primitive knowledge of first aid. He would have liked to have said that he called for a retreat, assuming the leadership position when their true leader was incapacitated. He would have liked to have said that he calmly dialed 911 and explained the situation while offering Lloyd whatever comfort he could under the circumstances.

But, Kai did none of those things.

He couldn't. Couldn't move- couldn't think- couldn't hear- he could see, only see, and all he could see was the blood on Lloyd's green ninja gi, all he could see was the blood- _Lloyd's blood_ \- on the sword the Constrictai was still holding, all he could see was his eyes widening and face stretching into a smile- and then Kai's hearing returned all at once as he heard him shout, "Guys, I got him!"

The announcement at least caught the attention of the other ninja. Zane and Nya immediately rushed over while Cole and Jay covered their retreat, holding off any Serpentine that were still fighting.

Zane kneeled beside Lloyd while Nya, seeing the severity of the wound, was already calling for an ambulance. There was some incoherent yelling and, for Kai, it slowly resolved itself into cheering.

The Serpentine were _cheering_.

Because of what they'd done to Lloyd, to Kai's brother, to his _baby brother_ …

Kai saw red. He tackled the surprised Constrictai, his skull making a satisfying _crack_ as it made contact with concrete. Kai punched him once, twice, three times, again and again and again and again until his knuckles were numb and the snake's face was as red as Lloyd's blood, Lloyd's blood that _he_ had brought forth, the damage _he_ had caused, because he deserved it, he deserved it, he deserved it for daring to lay a finger on Kai's little-

He felt arms around his waist, pulling him off, but Kai fought and struggled to escape, to continue the beating, to make the snake pay for-

Jay was in front of him, talking, saying something that Kai couldn't understand- Kai couldn't hear anything over the buzzing in his ears. Cole was behind him, adjusting his grip so he could grapple Kai with both arms trapped against his sides, effectively halting his struggle with the aid of super strength. All he could do was watch as the other Serpentine dragged their maimed comrade away, terrified looks in-

"Lloyd needs you!"

"What?" Only then did Kai look up at Jay, meet his eyes for the first time, come back to himself.

"I said, Lloyd needs you right now," Jay repeated softly, letting his hands drift closer very slowly. He was scared Kai was going to lash out at him. They were treating him like a wild animal.

All at once, he replayed the last thirty seconds in his head. He had beaten that Constrictai senseless, until he'd broken fingers in his own hand, with the intention to- to-

He _was_ a wild animal.

"I-I…"

What could he say?

"It's okay," Cole reassured from behind him. Where he had felt trapped before, Kai felt comforted in those arms now, felt safe with the pressure of Cole's chest on his back. "It's okay."

"Lloyd's going to need all of us to be strong right now," Jay said, placing either hand on Kai's shoulders. "Are you going to be okay, Kai?"

Dazedly, Kai nodded. Cole let him go.

"He's going into shock, Nya! Is the ambulance almost here?"

Kai's breath caught in his throat. He, Cole, and Jay rushed to Lloyd's side as Nya yelled something about the ambulance being on its way.

Zane was pressing both hands onto Lloyd's stomach, but the Green Ninja was breathing too hard, sweat curling the ends of his hair ever so slightly.

"Lloyd!" Kai shouted, taking his brother's hand in his own. It was cold and clammy, but Kai didn't let go.

Lloyd blinked slowly up at him, but there was no recognition or even a hint of lucidity. Just staring. Kai squeezed his hand, but Lloyd's expression didn't change.

Kai had never been more terrified in his life.

Finally, they could hear the sirens.

They moved out of the way when Lloyd was placed on a stretcher, but Kai dashed forward as they loaded him in the ambulance.

"Kai!"

"Let me go with him!" He shouted, already climbing up into the ambulance.

His siblings, seeing there was nothing they could do to stop him, promised to meet him at the hospital as soon as they could get there. The paramedics slammed the doors shut, and distantly Kai heard the siren start up again.

They put an oxygen mask on Lloyd's face. They cut up his green gi to get to the wound. They stuck an IV in his arm.

Kai was numb.

* * *

Kai sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair in the emergency room. Someone had looked him over and confirmed he'd broken his index and middle fingers in his right hand. They'd wrapped his hand, and now he picked at the tape subconsciously. Tapped his foot. Looked at the clock. Watched the doors. Waited. Waited. Waited.

His siblings had appeared at some point shortly after the paramedics had spirited Lloyd away to the operating room. They tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't- couldn't- look at them. Jay chatted to him constantly about the most random things. Cole tried to get him to eat something. Zane told him to stop picking at the tape. Nya just put a hand on his knee.

Master Wu and Misako came along soon after, the former grim and the latter nearly beside herself with worry. Kai almost threw up.

 _Finally_ , a nurse appeared.

"Is he okay?" Kai asked, the first thing he'd said since throwing himself into the ambulance. _Please be okay, please be okay, don't tell us we waited out here all this time hoping and worrying just to find out he was dead all along,_ please _…_

"Your friend is very lucky," The nurse explained with a smile, and all of them breathed a collective sigh of relief. "He lost a lot of blood, but luckily the blade seemed to have missed his vital organs and arteries. We will have to keep him overnight so he can finish the blood transfusion and for observation to ensure we didn't miss anything, but we're optimistic he can leave as early as tomorrow."

"Can I see him?" Misako asked, approaching the nurse in an aggressive manner that said she would not take no for an answer. "Can I see my son?"

"He won't regain consciousness for several hours," the nurse began hesitantly. "But, yes. One at a time."

Misako went in first, spending a very long time in Lloyd's room, then Master Wu.

The ninja all volunteered to let Kai be the first to see Lloyd among them, knowing how shook up he was by the entire episode. But, every time he stepped up to that imposing door, every time he saw the curve of a leg beneath the sheets through the window, something inside him froze, made him back up. He kept deferring and deferring his turn until he was the last one who hadn't gone in, and still he couldn't move.

"It's very late," Master Wu stated, drawing attention away from Kai's cowardice- because that's what it was, _cowardice_ \- even though he most certainly noticed himself. Aided by a quick glance out the window, Kai saw it was firmly nighttime. They'd spent longer than he thought individually visiting with Lloyd. "Let us go home and rest. Tomorrow, we will-"

"I want to stay," Kai said suddenly. "Someone should be here when he wakes up."

Master Wu shared a glance with Misako, but eventually his sensei nodded. "Very well."

His siblings offered him sympathetic glances and words of reassurance as they passed, but Kai could only answer with noncommittal hums.

He was alone. He took a deep breath, reaching for the door knob. He stepped inside.

There was Lloyd. His brother, his _baby brother_ , too pale, too small, too fragile in his white hospital gown in his white hospital room in this white hospital. Kai cringed when he saw the IV bag full of blood- the transfusion- dripping into Lloyd through the needle- the _needle_ \- in his arm.

The red ninja sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair by his bed. He picked at the tape around his hand subconsciously. Tapped his foot. Looked at the clock. Waited. Waited. Waited.

* * *

Kai's eyes snapped open. He was sleeping sitting up in a chair? Where…?

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

Kai looked up to see Lloyd sitting up and grinning at him tiredly.

Lloyd- awake- healthy- alive- _smiling_ …

" _Lloyd_!" Kai shouted, shooting forward and wrapping his arms around his little brother's neck, though he was careful not to hurt him. "You- You- You're okay?"

"Yeah, Kai. I'm fine," Lloyd said with a chuckle, hugging his brother back as tightly as he could.

Kai sat back, pulling his chair closer to the hospital bed. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm totally fine," Lloyd replied, leaning back against the pillows with an exhausted exhale. "I mean, tired and sore, but fine. They must have me on some killer pain medication."

"Good, because…," Kai sighed, picking at the tape on his hand. "I need to talk to you."

"What happened to your hand?" Lloyd asked instead, his attention drawn to the injury instead of whatever was so important that Kai needed to get off his chest.

"Doesn't matter," he replied offhandedly, though remembering how that Constrictai's face had crunched beneath his knuckles made him shudder. "Listen, Lloyd, you can't… you can't _do_ that."

The Green Ninja blinked. "Do… what?"

" _I_ was the one he was going to hit. That sword was meant for _me_ ," Kai explained simply, forcing himself to meet Lloyd's eyes as much as the shame wanted to make him bow his head. "You can't take a blow that was for me. You can't take a _fatal_ blow that was for me."

Lloyd stared at him incredulously for a moment. "Sorry, Kai, but you're not allowed to tell me what I can and can't do. I'm the leader, and I chose to save you. If you think I was going to watch you get stabbed, knowing there was something I could've done, then you're crazy."

Kai stood up, his tone taking a biting edge. "As the leader, you should have known that the best call- that _objectively_ the best call- was to save yourself. You are the most important person on the team, and you have to let yourself be selfish enough to realize that."

Lloyd was glaring, but the crossed arms meant he was a little wounded that Kai was attacking him so. "The Green Ninja has to put others' safety before his own _always_."

" _Civilians_ , Lloyd," Kai hissed, keeping his voice down only for the sake of being in a hospital and not wanting to get kicked out. "We are the Green Ninja's _protectors_. That means we die for you, not the other way around. The world needs _you_ , the Green Ninja, Lloyd, not… Kai."

Lloyd bit his lip, turning to look out the window, as if not wanting to admit Kai was right.

The red ninja sighed. "Lloyd-"

"I'm not ashamed to say I would die for my brother. I'd do it again, and I'll do it again," Lloyd said quietly.

"Lloyd!" Kai snapped. "You were just preaching about the Green Ninja's responsibilities, and now you're going to shrug them off just like that? Ninjago needs you-"

"I don't _care_!" Lloyd protested tearfully. "I can't- you can't ask me to choose _myself_ over-"

" _I_ need you!"

Lloyd froze, looking up at Kai as if he'd just grown a second head. "Wh-what?"

Kai used his sleeve to wipe at his eyes, because he _hated_ crying in front of other people. It didn't help. Tears were escaping unchecked, and Lloyd seemed at a loss with this new development. "I said, _I_ need you." He shoved his broken hand at Lloyd's face. "You want to know what happened? I almost _killed_ the guy that stabbed you. I'm serious- _killed_ , _murdered_. It was like I had no control over my body, and I don't even want to think about what I would have done if the guys hadn't been there to-"

A sob interrupted him, but he forced himself to continue. "And, I _hate_ myself for being _capable_ of doing something like that, but you-you- it's like you don't even know that you mean the world to me, Lloyd, and I _know_ I'll do something like that again if you're hurt…"

"Kai-"

"And, then I thought you were dead and I started trying to think about what life would be like with you gone, and I couldn't- I couldn't- I _actually_ couldn't live with myself knowing you had died for me- so- so can you think for _one second_ how I would rather die- _rather die_ \- than watch you die? That _I_ need you?"

There was a tense moment as Kai fixed Lloyd with a hard stare even while he continued scrubbing at his face with his sleeve.

Lloyd's eyes overflowed with tears of his own, and he said quietly, brokenly, "But, I need _you._ "

And, Kai realized he wasn't being fair. Lloyd had just gotten stabbed and nearly died. He was unconscious for several hours, currently being injected with someone else's blood, and was probably doped up on twenty different kinds of painkillers. This was not the time for some knock-down-drag-out debate.

"Alright, scoot over," Kai said softly, moving to sit beside Lloyd on the hospital bed.

Lloyd, grateful for the comfort, obediently shifted to the far side of the bed. Kai wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and his little brother rested his head on Kai's chest, still crying softly.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He said. "And… I'm still not happy about what you did, but… thanks. It means a lot when someone proves they would die for you."

"I can't do it alone, Kai," Lloyd whispered. "I guess it makes me selfish, but I don't want to do it alone."

"You're the least selfish person I know." Kai chuckled, resting his hand on Lloyd's head. "And, I promise that you'll never be alone again."

Lloyd hummed, as if he wanted to argue with Kai some more but didn't have the energy.

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Kai found himself stroking Lloyd's hair soothingly, pondering how he would better explain his point of view when Lloyd was in better condition. He felt the Green Ninja's head drooping heavily against his chest… then snap back up when Lloyd realized he was nodding off.

The third time it happened, Kai laughed as quietly as he could. "Lloyd, it's okay. Go to sleep."

"This can't be comfortable for you," he protested, though his words came out slurred.

In truth, it wasn't; Kai's arm was already falling asleep. Regardless, Kai said, "Quit trying to be the Green Ninja all the time, and just go to sleep."

Lloyd grunted disapprovingly but did as he was told. His breathing evened out in seconds, and Kai wondered how hard it must have been for Lloyd to force himself to stay awake.

"You're so stupid," he said. He kept stroking Lloyd's hair until he fell asleep.

* * *

 **So, did you guys like the level of angst or too much? More fluff or what? Please let me know so I can make you guys happy! :D**

 **And an announcement: School started today (which is partly why I'm posting this so late) and it kind of punched me in the face. At this point, I honestly don't know if I'll get the last chapter out by Thursday but I promise I'll try my hardest! Also, I will be taking a short break before starting the next Five Times story, and updates will almost certainly have to go down to once a week (probably Mondays.) I'm very sorry, but unfortunately, stupid school has to come first (sigh.) But, do not worry! I am NOT abandoning this story nor my Five Times project for every ninja! Things will just have to move... more slowly.**

 **But, for those of you who read it, Lost Soul's updates will not be affected, since that story's pretty much already written! Updates will continue to be on Wednesdays and Saturdays! :D**


	6. Kai

**Yes, the last chapter is finally here! Thank you all for your patience! :D**

 **Special thanks to SpitfirwaterNinja, Tex1412, RobinLost, Wyrenfire, DarkRed101, TheEvil4ssHole, Mikittrash, StoriesAreMagic, rbrill345, SnowNinjaAJ, TheYellowNinja, Yeeeet, Guest, Nali Nali Nalina, Peanut2196, MagicWords22, Fires of Darkness, ShaggyMadi, Guest, and ABCSKW123-IX for reviewing!**

 **rbrill345: Aw, thanks for leaving a review both when you were and weren't logged in :D I think the way you described your feelings was perfect! (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ AND, you were crying!? That makes me so happy! XD Thank you for reviewing!**

 **SnowNinjaAJ: Oh no! :O I certainly hope no one was hurt, including you! I'm glad you could relate to Kai though. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **TheYellowNinja: Haha, thanks for understanding about school. I hope once a few weeks go by and I settle in I'll be able to make time to write :D Aw, I'm so happy you liked the chapter! I love Kai and Lloyd's relationship as well, so I had a good time writing it :D I will definitely write more one shots just for you! (When I can find the time XD) I'm glad you thought the fluff and angst was well balanced! It's easy to go overboard on either/both. I'm so happy you like my writing style! You are so so so kind, and I treasure each and every one of your reviews! :D**

 **Yeeeet: Wow, I hope I'll be able to inspire you! I am stuck deciding between Lloyd and Jay for whose "Five Times" to write next, but I'll definitely take your vote into account ;D Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Guest: So, from your review, I'm *pretty* sure you're RandomDragon? The name just showed up as "Guest," so… (If you're not, I apologize XD) I'm so happy you thought Kai was in character! That is always a priority of mine :D Kai's siblings are always looking out for him, so of course they'd tried to comfort him in the waiting room :D "Amazing?!" (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ I really, really hope you like what I decided to do with your idea! I don't know if it's what you envisioned, so PLEASE let me know if you're disappointed -_-; If you are RandomDragon, I'll check out your new story XD Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Nali Nali Nalina: To be honest, I did not notice that pattern! (^-^;) (The pattern I was referring to was the first line of every chapter beginning with "Kai was…" :D) But, that's really cool and I'm glad you saw that progression! It factors into the last chapter in that Kai doesn't lose his temper at all- like building, building, building- sudden drop. (If that makes sense…?) I feel like Kai is the most protective of Lloyd and Nya, so he'd freak out if someone hurt them so seriously. Don't worry, the Constrictai lived! Kai definitely doesn't need a murder on his conscience. I feel like protecting Ninjago would definitely put more stress on them than we see in the show (;﹏;) I think when Kai focuses more on the "protective" aspect rather than the glory of being the Green Ninja, he can be mature and accepting of it, but it's still asking a lot (;﹏;) I love the idea of the other ninja thinking of Lloyd as their baby brother :3 Authentic angst!? Yes! My worst nightmare is for the angst to feel forced! :O Thank you so much! :D**

 **ShaggyMadi: Aw, I loved your review so much! I do put a lot of effort and thought into my stories because I only want to post things that I am proud of, so it really means a lot that you see that in my work! (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ I love Kai as well, and I really wanted to show him in a brotherly, protective light rather than just a one dimensional hot-head, so I'm happy you thought I did him justice :D I DEFINITELY believe that Kai is insecure! (Usually those who come off as the most arrogant or confident are truly the most insecure!) I hope you like this last chapter! :D**

 **Guest: Aw, "amazing?!" You are too kind! (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ Thank you so much!**

 **BEFORE YOU READ! Usually, these one shots are largely unconnected, BUT this one uses elements from previous chapters! While not *strictly* necessary to read them to understand this chapter, I would suggest doing so for optimum enjoyment! (I don't know why you would skip to chapter 6 without reading the first five, but I thought I'd include the warning XD)**

* * *

Kai was…

Well, Kai wasn't _mad_. Annoyed? Sure. Frustrated? Of course.

But mostly, Kai was lost.

You'd think with how many times they'd saved Ninjago City, he would have learned his way around it by now. Kai was berating himself for not paying more attention to street signs during enemy invasions as he passed that taco place for what had to be the fourth time.

Spotting the entryway to Ninjago City Park, a familiar face in this concrete jungle, Kai hurried into it, knowing it was a shortcut back to where they'd left the Destiny's Bounty. As he glanced about warily on the paved path skirting the pond in the park that was eerily quiet at nine o'clock at night, he tightened his grip on the DVD case. It was his turn to pick up the movie for movie night. He knew he would already be getting an earful about how long he was taking to return with prize in hand, so he only hoped that, once he arrived on the other side of the park, he'd know how to get home from there.

Kai was wrenched out of his musings by a strangled yowl.

"Kick it again!"

"Yeah, see if it'll make that sound again!"

Kai rolled his eyes. Really? Some idiots hurting a cat? He squinted in the darkness and could just make out three figures framed against the glistening black backdrop of the pond.

Kai sighed, studying the movie in his hand. He was already so late… And, it was just a cat… A defenseless, perfectly innocent creature...

When Kai heard another screech of pain, he made up his mind. Though he was now much closer to the pond than he ever wanted to be to any body of water, he marched off the paved path and toward the three thugs, one of which was dangling the cat upside down by the tail.

"Alright, guys, knock it off. You've had your fun," He said, trying to use his "authoritative red ninja" tone rather than his "supremely irritated teenager" one.

They jumped, and the biggest one dropped the cat. The feline naturally landed on its feet and dashed off without even a meow of gratitude.

 _You're welcome_ , Kai thought bitterly as the three guys now directed their hostility at him. As they turned toward the light of the nearby street lamp though, Kai could've sworn they looked familiar. Where had he met them before…?

Kai's eyes widened. The arcade. Jay's bullies. The punks he had told off. What was his name…?

"Leo, isn't that…?"

Leo gasped, coming to the realization at about the same time Kai did. His face darkened immediately, and he snarled, "You!"

Even though Kai had nothing but contempt for the three bullies, he held up his hands. "Look, I don't want any trouble, so just-"

"I bet you're pretty proud of yourself after that stunt you pulled in the arcade," Leo growled as all three of them slowly advanced on Kai as one unit. The red ninja backed away in response. Not that he was afraid of them; in fact, he knew he could knock them all unconscious with one hand tied behind his back. But, that was exactly the problem: when he thought about fighting these overconfident teens that couldn't properly defend themselves against the Master of Fire, all he could see was the bloodied face of the Constrictai that had stabbed Lloyd. Despite everything Leo and his goons had said to Jay, Kai really didn't want to hurt them.

And, if they got into a fight, he was afraid he might.

"What, you thought it was funny? Embarrassing us like that?" Leo continued, stalking ever closer and forcing Kai back.

"A little, yeah," Kai replied before he could stop himself, a smirk taking up residence on his face. He took another step back-

And, gasped when his foot plunged into the chilly water of the pond.

Water. Deep, _deep_ water. Deep, cold, dark water that he could not swim in.

He shrieked as he tumbled halfway in, dropping the DVD. Luckily, he managed to grab onto the bank, keeping himself dry and safe and _alive_ from the waist up. Clutching the grass for dear life, he yanked himself up and out of the water, breathing heavily as his heart raced.

But, he froze when he realized his fatal mistake.

Chancing a glance at Leo, he saw the three bullies grinning at each other like cats that got the cream. Kai pushed himself to his feet, ready to make a run for it-

Leo's two buddies tackled him, forcing him to the ground and grabbing either arm, and he knew what to do, he knew how to escape, he had trained, he was a ninja, he could beat them easily- except his brain wasn't working because he was so, so cold and still too close to the water and he had almost drowned just then, and-and-and he was… he was…

"So, the big, tough guy is scared of a little water?" Leo taunted, standing over Kai as his lackies struggled to keep a hold on the ninja's bucking form. "I think we should help him get over his fear, guys. Don't you agree?"

"No!" Kai shouted, trying, trying, _trying_ to wrestle his way out of their arms because they were dragging him closer to the water. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kai knew he was only making it worse, acting this way and giving Leo the satisfaction, but he couldn't help it, he couldn't _help_ it when the water was _right there_ …

"Do it."

They shoved his head in the water.

Kai fought with everything he had, but with two guys on him he couldn't break free of their hold. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't _breathe_ , and what- what could he- he couldn't breathe- _don't let me drown, don't let me drown, anything but that,_ anything _but that_ \- he couldn't-

Just as blackness tinted the edges of his vision, they yanked his head out of the water.

He gasped in greedy lungfuls of air- sweet, sweet air-

"Again."

They pushed him back under.

 _No_! He wanted to scream again, but it was too late.

He had even less air than the last time.

It was the most unimaginable torture. The cruelest sadism. The worst way to die.

When they pulled him back up, Kai breathed in hungrily, too weak to do anything else.

"Maybe if you beg, we'll let you go," Leo said from somewhere above Kai.

Beg? No, no, he couldn't, his pride wouldn't let him grovel at the feet of this bully, shatter his dignity…

But, he couldn't go back under. They might not pull him back up in time, and the feeling of drowning, of suffocating, of dying surrounded by the blackness he knew would fill his lungs to bursting in seconds… He couldn't do it. Not again.

"Alright, I guess he wants another drink," Leo said mock-regretfully, and Kai almost choked on the panic alone as the water came rushing back toward him.

"Let him go!"

His two captors froze, and Kai twisted to look over his shoulder at-

All his siblings in fighting stances, glaring holes into the thugs. They were here, they were _here_ … and Kai had never seen them so… so…

 _Angry._

"Leo?!" Jay shouted, more out of shock than anything else. "You- you- you _scumbag_!"

"Just let him go and no one has to get hurt," Lloyd said, his voice low. The words were benign enough, but the chilling tone and murderous expression made shivers crawl up and down Kai's spine- and he was the one they were trying to save.

"Leo…," the bully on Kai's right whispered anxiously, unnerved by Lloyd's tempered aggression.

"Shut up," the leader growled. Then, to the opposing faction, "Mind your own business. This has nothing to do with you."

"That's my brother," Nya snapped. "Not only is it our business, _now_ … it's personal."

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Leo said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Dude, this is not a fight you're going to win," Cole warned, eyes flashing. "Just walk away."

"We are masters of spinjitzu," Zane explained. "And, now that we've informed you of our skill level and given you a chance to flee, we are no longer responsible for whatever harm may befall you in this severely uneven match."

The two guys on either side of Kai, who was only now beginning to catch his breath again, shifted uncomfortably, looking to their leader for guidance.

Leo pursed his lips, but eventually said, "Let him up."

Kai breathed a sigh of relief as the two thugs released him. He stood up, shaky even now after nearly drowning- _twice_ \- but he managed to smile at his siblings as-

Leo, moving as fast as lightning, shoved him into the pond.

 _Cold._ Kai felt his muscles lock up on contact. It was too dark. He couldn't tell which way was up. And, he was so _tired_. His brain was screaming, his lungs were aching, but his body… just… couldn't… move…

Blackness swept over his vision like a curtain, and Kai knew he was dead.

* * *

Kai gasped, turning on his side as water forced its way out of his lungs, coughing as he tried to breathe, breathe, _breathe_ again…

Wait. He was… alive?

"I told you you were invincible."

Kai blinked, his vision finally coming into focus. He finally made out Nya leaning over him, smiling with pure joy even though she was soaking wet.

He sat up and saw Zane tying Leo's hands behind his back, his two friends already similarly trussed up. All three of them were sporting several cuts and bruises and very sulky expressions.

"The police are on their way," Lloyd spit at Leo, who only grumbled in response.

"Kai?" He jumped when Nya touched his arm. "Are you okay?"

He blinked at her.

"We got them," she stated, gesturing at their three captives. She fixed him with a searching gaze. "You do know you're safe now, right?"

Nya, his brothers, they were here, he was alive, he was _safe_ …

Kai wanted to stomp up to Leo and kick his teeth in, wanted to drown them the same way they drowned him, wanted to make them every bit as afraid as they made him.

Instead, he started crying.

Big, heaving sobs that racked his entire body because he was just so... _relieved_. Because he was _alive_ when he was so sure he was dead. Because he was here with his siblings and he knew, he _knew_ , he was safe.

Nya was saying soothing words to him. Cole was there with an arm around his shoulders. But, through all that he could hear,

"Is he seriously _crying_?" Leo sneered, laughing.

And, Kai felt ashamed and embarrassed, but he couldn't stop, couldn't summon the red-hot anger he knew was bubbling somewhere underneath all the residual fear.

"Are you seriously still _talking_?" Jay snapped, narrowing his eyes at his former tormentor. "You gang up on people, you use scare tactics because you know you're too much of a wimp to actually do anything to them, you talk a big game to make yourself seem cooler than you actually are, and now you're trying to make fun of Kai when you're the one who just got his butt handed to him and is now going to spend the night in jail." He scoffed with disgust. "You're _pathetic_."

Leo opened his mouth, as if about to say something… then closed it in favor of glaring at the grass.

"Get him home," Lloyd ordered, nodding at Kai who was only now beginning to calm down, if only because his teeth were chattering too hard to cry properly. "Jay and I will wait here for the police. The rest of you go."

Kai felt arms around him, lifting him up. Vaguely, he knew he should protest, but the warmth he could leech from Cole was much too valuable to pass up. He let his head droop against Cole's chest as they started moving, suddenly very tired.

"I'm here for you now, bro," Cole reassured, hugging his brother close to his chest. "Just imagine you're somewhere super peaceful in nature…"

* * *

"Kai."

"Mm."

"Kai, we must get you out of those wet clothes."

Kai blinked, trying to get his bearings. They were in his bedroom on the Destiny's Bounty, but the journey there he could only remember in flashes. The good news was that he didn't feel cold anymore.

The bad news was that he didn't feel cold anymore.

He looked up at Zane holding out a set of pajamas to him from his seated position on the bed.

"I can do it myself…," he mumbled, mostly because he knew he should, because it was a _Kai_ thing to say. Honestly though, he wasn't sure he could.

"Please, Kai, let me help you."

Kai grunted, pulling the wet t-shirt up and over his head. He'd already had to be rescued, cried in front of a virtual crowd of people, and had to be carried home like a damsel in distress. He supposed he couldn't embarrass himself anymore tonight.

Zane guided his arms through the sleeves. Kai tried to button it up himself, but his fingers were too numb to even be able to grip the buttons let alone push them through the holes. Zane helped him do it. Zane helped him pull his pants on. Zane helped him lie down.

He helped silently, and Kai was grateful that the nindroid was working so hard to maintain an impersonal air so Kai didn't feel babied.

Just as Zane heaped the tenth blanket on him and made to leave the room, Kai cleared his throat. "Zane."

The white ninja paused in the doorway, raising an eyebrow.

"Thanks."

Zane smiled. "You're very welcome."

"And… can you tell the others I said that?"

"Promise."

* * *

Kai started awake, gasping for the air that was so, so far away…

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

Kai sat up, sobering upon realizing he wasn't underwater. He rubbed his eyes and squinted at the figure he sensed in the room. "Lloyd?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to check on you after everything…," Lloyd whispered from where he was standing by Kai's bed. "Just to make sure you were… okay. But, I'll-"

"No, it's okay. Stay," Kai said a little too quickly.

Lloyd obediently perched on the edge of the bed. "So… how are you feeling?"

"Still cold," he muttered, wrapping himself tighter in the obscene amount of blankets. "You'd think the Master of Fire wouldn't have that problem." Lloyd laughed, and Kai smiled. Then, recalling the events from earlier that night now that he was in his right state of mind again, he asked, "Wait, how did you guys know where to find me?"

"We got worried after you took so long to get the movie," Lloyd explained. "Zane tracked your phone." Ah, yes, the phone that was now completely ruined after being submerged in the pond along with him. "When we saw that you weren't moving, we thought you must be in trouble."

"Man…," Kai sighed, letting himself fall back onto his pillow with a thump. "I'm _sorry_."

"Huh? Why are you sorry?"

"Because you guys had to come rescue me," Kai admitted, feeling the warmth of his blush contrasting drastically against his chilled skin. "I should've been able to get away from those guys easy, but I just totally _freaked_ around the water and it was like I forgot how to do everything." He slung his arm over his eyes in defeat. "I'm so _lame_."

Kai started when he felt the pillow disappear out from underneath him, making his head hit the mattress. He sat up, glaring. "What the-"

Lloyd whacked him in the face with the pillow.

The pillow landed in Kai's lap, but he could only blink at the Green Ninja.

"You're so stupid," Lloyd said, laughing at Kai's shocked expression. "We've all got our weaknesses, Kai. Even you. It doesn't make you lame."

Kai's startled expression slowly melted into a small smile. "Thanks, Ll-"

"You're lame for plenty of other reasons!"

Taking up the pillow, Kai hit Lloyd so hard he tumbled to the ground, but he was laughing too much at his own joke to care. "Get out."

Lloyd, still wheezing with leftover giggles, managed to stumble toward the door. "Goodnight, Kai!"

The red ninja grumbled a response, but he was smiling as he replaced his pillow beneath his head.

And, Kai fell thankfully into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **And, sadly, that brings "Five Times Kai Lost His Temper" to a close (;﹏;) I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it! :D**

 **As I stated last chapter, I will be taking a short break (a couple weeks) before posting the next Five Times. That being said, I will begin work on it ASAP!**

 **SOOO, I need to decide which ninja to feature! I'm stuck between Jay and Lloyd as a kid (pre-Child's Play). :/ Leaving your vote would be greatly appreciated! :D**

 **And, once again, Lost Soul's updates will not be affected :D**


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